Hostage
by MissyMo2005
Summary: Erin is sent in undercover after a string of girls go missing after spending a night in a hotel, which seems to be the only link between them. However, things don't go to plan after Erin herself is taken.
1. Chapter 1

Erin laughed, looking over at Jay. She could at least always rely on her partner to cheer her up when she was having a bad day. "What are you laughing at?" He demanded, looking puzzled.

"You! I can never understand how you manage to make so much mess when you eat!" She laughed. "You've got ketchup on your chin!"

Jay laughed too, quickly wiping the sauce of his chin. "It's not that funny!" He teased when Erin continued laughing. He'd never say anything to her but he was just relieved to see her smile, she'd been a little off for the past few weeks.

Eventually, Erin managed to pull herself together and regain her composure. "Sorry, I guess we'd better get back to it." She said nodding towards the door. Jay nodded, standing up and following her out of the little diner they'd stopped in for something to eat. It had been a long day and they were both starving.

"Ok, so then.. What do we have so far?" Erin asked as she started the car. She was still trying to get all the facts about their case straight in her head and make some kind of sense of what was happening.

"Three girls have all gone missing after a night out at that hotel." Jay said, pointing out of the window as they drove past. "We're yet to find any other link between them other than the hotel. Hold on, it's Voight." He said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Halstead." he said as he answered the phone. "Ok, yeah, we're on the way."

"What was that about?" Erin asked, looking at him curiously.

"Voight wants us to meet him back at the precinct asap... They just found the body of the first girl who went missing." He explained.

Erin nodded, spinning the car around and quickly weaving her way back through the traffic.

Fifteen minutes later, the intelligence unit were all sat at their respective desks, listening to Voight. "The first victim, Chloe Pierce, was reported missing three days ago. She was in town for the week visiting relatives. Her body was found today, on a building site six blocks from the hotel. So far they haven't found any prints or DNA at the scene." Voight explained. "Our priority is to find whoever did this, before anything happens to the other girls. Has anyone got any suggestions?"

There was a few minutes silence as people tried to think of potential ways to catch the killer.

Eventually, Erin spoke. "If the only link between the victims is the hotel, then it makes sense that the killer works there?" She said, getting nods from the rest of the unit.

"Good." Voight said. "So, unless anyone has a better idea... We send Erin in undercover, book her a room and see if she can figure out who it is. It's a long shot, but it might just work." Erin nodded. "You'll need to work out how to make it clear you're alone."

"Got it.. Give me half an hour to get ready. Halstead, can you make the booking?" Erin asked, walking towards the locker room.

"Yeah, sure." He said, dialling the number as Erin walked out of the room.

Exactly half an hour later, Erin stepped back out of the locker room, having got changed. She blushed as Ruzek whistled. "Nice dress." He laughed, causing everyone else to turn around and look at her.

"Ok guys, no need to stare." Erin said, getting increasingly flustered as they continued to look at her. "Murderers to catch and all that." She said, gesturing towards the door.

"You heard the girl, let's go!" Voight said, following Erin towards the door. "Is everyone clear on the plan?" He asked. Everyone nodded before making their way out to their cars.

"I'll have a margaritas please." Erin said, sitting down at the bar in the hotel. She smoothed out the purple dress she was wearing, playing with the hem. She was still a little embarrassed by the way everyone had looked at her, she couldn't remember the last time she'd dressed like that- she just felt too uncomfortable.

"There you go." The bartender said, placing the drink in front of her. "What's a pretty thing like you doing drinking on her own on a Friday night." He asked, leaning closer to her.

_Here we go. _Erin thought, the guy was giving her the creeps already. _Didn't take long at all._"I'm in town visiting family, it's my last night before I fly back to New York." She said with a smile.

The bartender moved a little closer, his eyes wandering down her body. "You came here all alone? No boyfriend?" He asked.

Erin shook her head. "Nope, just me." She reminded herself to flash him a quick smile.

He smiled back at her. "Well, enjoy your evening." He said, moving away to serve a customer further down the bar. As he moved away, Erin locked eyes with Jay who was sat two seats down from her, listening in on the conversation. He gave a small nod. It sounded as though they'd got their guy, now they just needed to wait.

Half an hour later, Erin pushed her empty glass backwards. "Thanks for the drink, I'm headed up to my room now. Got an early flight." She said with a smile, sliding off the bar stool.

The bartender flashed her another grin. "Have a nice night." Jay didn't miss the way the bartenders eyes followed his partner out of the room as she walked back towards the lobby. "Mike!" the guy called to one of the other staff. "I'm just headed out on my break." Hearing that, Jay quickly slid off his stool and made his way out in to the lobby.

Erin pressed the button and was relieved when the elevator doors opened instantly on the right hand side. Her feet were killing her in the stupid heels she'd worn and she couldn't wait to get up to the room so she could take them off. _Now headed up. _She quickly texted to Voight, who was waiting in the room with Ruzek and Olinsky. She pressed the button for the top floor, hoping it wouldn't take long to get there. Two levels up, the lift stopped and the doors opened._Crap. _Erin thought as she saw who had called the lift. The bartender from earlier grinned at her. "Hi Erin." He said in a way that made her skin crawl.

Erin could feel her heart rate start to rise as she considered her options. This hadn't been part of the plan. Jay was supposed to be just behind her in case something like this happened, but he wouldn't be getting out on the third floor. Realising he was still looking at her, Erin smiled. "Hi there, I was just headed up to my room." She said as he stepped in to the elevator with her. He flashed her another smile. "I was just headed up to the top floor myself." He said, leaning against the wall, uncomfortably close to her. The journey up to the top floor of the hotel felt like an eternity for Erin. She was praying that Jay would be waiting for her as they'd planned.

She held back a sigh of relief as she heard the ping signalling that the doors were about to open, rushing out of the elevator before she had a chance to look where she was. As she stepped out she realised they weren't on the top floor of the hotel at all, they were in the parking garage. She shivered as she felt a hand on the back of her shoulder. "Change of plans pretty girl, you're coming home with me." He whispered in her ear. Erin spun around to find a gun pointed at her. "Put your purse on the ground." He said. "Now!" He added when Erin hesitated.

Slowly, she bent down and placed it on the ground in front of his feet, before standing back up again with her hands raised. "Turn around again." He said, grabbing hold of her hands as she did so and wrapping a cable tie around them so she couldn't use them. Before Erin had a chance to process what had happened, he had her blindfolded and shoved her in to the back of the SUV they'd been stood next to. After locking her in he picked up her purse, taking out the cell phone and throwing it against the wall, laughing quietly to himself as it shattered in to several tiny pieces. He left the rest of her things there, he picked up her purse and walked back to the lift, dropping it inside, before getting in his car and driving off. "They just make it so easy." He muttered to himself as he drove out of the parking garage.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi guys, I'm back! Sorry it's taken me so long, but for those of you who were complaining it had taken too long- moving to the other side of the world and starting a new job has vastly reduced the amount of free time that I have to write. I will try and update more regularly again now that I've had a chance to settle in a bit and get things sorted out... In the meantime, hopefully this has been worth the wait... Thanks for sticking with me!_

* * *

Jay drummed his fingers on the vending machine he'd been pretending to look at for the past ten minutes, quickly glancing down at his watch. "Come on Erin." He muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the hallway for what felt like the thousandth time. He could feel the anxiety rising in his stomach, the sickening feeling starting to settle in. It shouldn't have taken his partner that long to catch the lift up to the top floor. There was no reason for her not to be there- unless something had gone wrong.

Another thirty seconds passed, Jay wondering if he should go back down to the bar and check if Erin had gone back again for some reason. He couldn't believe she would've done that without telling him, she wasn't stupid. He took out his phone and quickly called Voight. "Is Erin with you?" He asked before Voight even had a chance to speak, the stress was evident in his voice.

"No, she said she was on her way up but she's not here yet. What's going on Halstead?" Voight asked.

"I followed her out if the bar about ten minutes ago, she took one elevator and I took the other but she's still not here." Jay said, bracing himself for the rage he was about to encounter. He was slightly puzzled as the line disconnected, but then the door to the room swung open and Voight marched out and dragged him in to the room where the rest of the intelligence unit were waiting.

"Take me through what happened Halstead!" Voight demanded, slamming the door shut behind him.

Jay looked at the worried faces of his colleagues, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten further. "She told him she was headed up to her room because she'd got an early flight, he told her to have a nice night and then she left. A couple of minutes later he said he was going on his break which was when I followed Erin to the elevators.. I watched her get in!" He said defensively.

"There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for where she is." Antonio said, ignoring the dubious look he got from Voight. "Have either of you actually tried calling her?"

There was a few moment pause, Voight pulling his phone out and dialling the number. The room was silent as they waited, Voight shaking his head as it went straight to voicemail. "She wouldn't have turned her phone off." He said, voicing exactly what Jay had been thinking. "Ruzek, Olinsky- go back to the bar and look for her there, work your way up. Halsetad, Antonio- check the security cameras to see if they caught her on there." Voight yelled, halfway out of the room before he'd finished his sentence.

It didn't take them long to get hold of the security footage, the slightly threatening manner in which Jay had demanded it going a long way in convincing the security guard to hand it over. Then came the painful part, closely studying the footage of every single camera, watching and waiting to see if they could see Erin. "Of course they don't have camera in the elevators." Jay muttered under his breath as he stared at the screen infront of him. "That would just be too- wait! There he is!" The sudden increase in volume in his voice made Antonio jump as Jay jabbed his finger towards the screen. "That's the bartender.

Antonio stared closely at the screen. "Okay, so now we just have to work out where they got out of the elevator. I'll call Voight, you start looking."

Jay nodded, his eyes firmly focused on the screen as he continued looking for his partner.

Fifteen minutes later, he banged his fist down in the table loudly, the frustration he'd been trying to hide beginning to show. "This is bullshit! They can't have just disappeared!" They'd watched the footage from outside the elevator on every single floor multiple times and there was no sign of Erin or the bartender anywhere.

"And you're sure you've checked all of them?" Voight asked, pacing across the room.

"We've looked at every floor between the lobby and the top floor." Antonio confirmed.

Jay ran his hand through his hair, staring at the image in front of him if Erin getting into the elevator. _I should've been in there with her. _He thought to himself, but he couldn't go back and change it.

"What if there's somewhere without security cameras?" Antonio said suddenly, snapping Jay out of his thoughts. "Like a staff area with an exit he could've taken her out of?"

Voight nodded slowly. "It's a possibility." He said, trying to think of areas that they may have missed.

"The parking garage." Jay said after a few moments thought. "The elevator would go down and we wouldn't see them leaving on camera."

Voight was halfway out of the door before Jay had even finished his sentence.

There was a tense silence in the elevator as they waited for it to reach the bottom floor. Jay was subconsciously holding his breath as the doors opened, wondering what they might find on the otherside. The guy was dangerous, they'd seen firsthand what he could do- the thought that he had Erin was sickening.

As the doors opened, it took his eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim lighting in the garage as he scanned around the room, his fingers hovering close to his gun- just incase. They silently crept forwards, looking around for any signs of movement, which was when he spotted it on the floor. He bent down and picked up the shattered phone, which he'd been teasing Erin about not being able to use only hours previously, and motioned to Voight and Antonio. "They were definitely down here." Voight said, inspecting the phone as he took it from Jay. "We need to find that bastard- now." There was a nod of agreement from the rest of the intelligence unit, Jay meeting eyes with Voight- a silent agreement that they'd do whatever it took to get Erin back.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys, sorry it's taken me so long- yet again! Life's kind of getting the better of me at the moment! I've finally got some free time so I'm sitting on the beach writing this now- I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think!_

Erin winced as her head smacked in to the side of the car as it came to an abrupt stop, the tape across her mouth preventing her from screaming out loud. There was a silence, which for Erin felt like it lasted an eternity- the only sound was the racing of her heart- before the door opened and she felt a hand grab hold of her shoulder and drag her out of the car. As she was dragged out of the car she lost her footing, falling hard down on to the concrete floor. She felt the pain radiating through her head, then the moisture she could only assume was blood, before the hand was back, dragging her back on to her feet. "Get up." He growled in her ear as he held her arm tightly. "Wouldn't want you to ruin that pretty little face of yours, would we?"

Erin could feel the nausea in her stomach increasing as the reality of the situation she was in started to fully sink in. This was serious, this guy had already killed one girl, if not more that they didn't know about yet. She was in over her head, and there was nothing she could do about it. She blinked, momentarily blinded as he pulled off the bag he had placed over her head. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the bright artificial light as she looked up at her kidnapper. The bartender from earlier that night smirked down at her. "If you scream- or even make a sound-, I'll kill you." He whispered in her ear, his hand resting on the gun attached to his waistband, as he leant down and ripped the tape from her mouth.

Erin hissed out loud at the stinging sensation, tears forming in her eyes. Before she even had a chance to realise what was happening he'd duct taped her arms and legs to the chair he'd shoved her in to, meaning she couldn't move at all. "Why did you do this to me?" She asked, not realising she'd said it out loud until she felt his hand connect with her face, the pain making her recoil quickly as it radiated through her face.

"What did I say to you about speaking?" He hissed. "You're all the same- unless you want to end up like the other two keep your mouth shut!" He glared at her for a moment, before turning and disappearing through a little door in the corner that Erin hadn't noticed previously.

As the door closed behind him, Erin let out the breath she'd been subconsciously holding, and looked around the small room she was in. She squinted, trying to make out the shadows she could see in the dim lighting of the room. It appeared to be some kind of basement, there were definitely no windows, but that was about all she could make out as her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. She replayed what he'd said in her head as she squinted in to the darkness. _'if you don't want to end up like the other two._' It didn't make sense- there were three girls that had gone missing... Unless one of them was still alive. She craned her neck around, looking for possible signs that there was someone else down there with her, but she couldn't see anything. Still, there was a little bit of hope there, that maybe she still stood a chance. It was a small hope, but it was better than no hope. She'd just have to hope she could bide her time long enough for the intelligence unit to find her.

* * *

There was a tense silence back at the precinct, everyone looking at Voight expectantly as he paced up and down the room. It was odd to see Voight, who was usually so un phased by what they did, so stressed and on the verge of panicking. Jay and Antonio sat at their desks, watching CCTV footage from the streets surrounding the hotel, trying to spot potential vehicles that could've been belonging to the bar tender. The hotel's records had been near enough useless in providing them with information- he was a new employee and they had no vehicles registered to him. They were waiting for the hotel to try and find an address for him.

Olinsky spoke suddenly, jolting Jay out of his thoughts. "They've just emailed over a copy of his driving license- supposedly his name is Daniel Richards." He told them.

"What do you mean supposedly?" Jay asked, a little confused.

"I've just run the name and social security through the system and he doesn't exist- neither does the address he gave them." Olinsky explained, looking at Voight's unreadable expression.

There was a long silence in the room as they processed what had just been said- how much more difficult it would make the task of finding her. Jay stood up abruptly, his chair slamming back in to the wall and walked quickly out. "This is bullshit." He muttered under his breath as he headed down the stairs. He needed a few minutes to clear his head. How was he supposed to forgive himself if anything happened to Erin? It was his fault that it had happened. He was supposed to have her back and he'd let her get kidnapped. What a great partner he'd turned out to be.

"Halstead." Jay spun around as he heard Voight's voice behind him. "Look- I know I've been pretty hard on you about Erin, and I'm sorry for that... But you can't blame yourself for this... despite what I said. You did as you were told, followed the plan. None of us saw this coming.." He paused, looking at the younger detective. "We're going to find her... It's Erin- I don't care what it takes." Voight said with conviction. Jay didn't say anything, just wishing he could share Voight's conviction that everything could be ok. He desperately wanted to believe it, but the realistic part of his brain knew that every second that passed made it less and less likely that it would end well- something he didn't want to consider, but at the same time couldn't get out of the back of his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're a cop?!" Erin flinched as the door to burst open and her kidnapper burst in, glaring at her angrily. She cringed back in to the chair as he towered over her. "A freaking cop?!" He muttered, rummaging through a bag and pulling out Erin's badge and ID. "Shit."

Erin stayed silent, watching as he paced backwards and forwards across the room, muttering to himself as he went. "Come on Michael, pull it together." She heard him mutter. "You need a plan, they're going to come looking for her... Crap." Erin watched him as he continued to formulate some kind of plan, pacing back and forth quickly as he did so. She wasn't sure how he'd found out she was a cop, but she knew it wasn't good. He was formulating a plan to get rid of her, make sure he couldn't be tied to anything. That probably meant she'd just lost a whole heap of time- he knew they were on to him.

After a few more seconds of pacing frantically, he stopped abruptly and turned to face Erin with a sickening smile on his face. "I've got it." He muttered to himself, turning and walking in to a corner Erin couldn't make out in the dim lighting. She strained her eyes, trying to work out what he was doing. He'd obviously decided on his plan, the only question was what it meant for Erin.

She jumped as he suddenly appeared behind her, she probably would've screamed if his hand hadn't have been covering her mouth. She winced as he jabbed a needle in to her arm, trying to fight him off unsuccessfully. A few seconds later she slumped against the chair, unconscious as her kidnapper busied himself getting things ready for stage two of his plan.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Jay's head snapped around as Nadia burst through the doors to intelligence, closely followed by Sargent Platt.

Everyone else looked up at Nadia, who was standing in front of Voight waiting for an answer. "We haven't told anyone- we don't want who ever has Erin to find out she's a cop." Voight said wearily, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't even realised it was morning, they'd all worked through the night coming up with potential leads and they were exhausted.

"Well, you obviously haven't seen this then!" Nadia retorted, reaching in to her bag and pulling out a newspaper and shoving it in to Voight's hands.

There was a long silence as Voight stared at the front page of the paper. Jay got up from his desk and walked over to see what was going on. "shit." He mumbled as he took in what was on the front page of the paper. _Chicago PD Detective missing. _A photo of his partner stared out of the newspaper at him. He tried to focus on the words on the page as the rest of his colleagues gathered around them, but his eyes just kept wandering back to the photo. He'd got no idea where they'd got it from, but he could remember being there- he'd taken the photo of his partner laughing about something silly as they'd sat in Molly's bar drinking.

He just tuned back in at the end of Voight's sentence. "We need to find out who leaked this... We need to find her- now. If he knows we're on to him now, then he's not going to hang around." Jay shuddered at the thought of what could happen to his partner if her kidnapper knew she was a cop. He looked up at Voight, who's face mirrored the anxiety and stress on his own. He was about to go back to his desk when Voight grabbed his arm. "Come with me, I want to follow up on something." Voight said, headed towards the door.

It was a short car journey, they pulled up outside a small restaurant ten minutes later. It wasn't a nice looking place and from the lack of customers it was probably a front for something much more sinister. His hand automatically found its way to rest on his gun as he followed Voight in, straight through the restaurant and in to a room at the back. "We need to talk." Voight growled, grabbing a short guy who was sat around a table playing poker with a couple of others and dragging him up against a wall.

Before the other guy even had a chance to speak, Voight smacked him in the face. Jay cringed slightly but he didn't intervene. Although he didn't usually agree with his bosses methods the face that it was Erin they were looking for made him more willing to do whatever it took. "Shut up." Voight growled, towering over the man. "I've had just about enough of your crap! Tell me what you know!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The guy protested, only to earn another punch to the face. Jay shifted uncomfortably behind his boss.

"Don't lie to me!" Voight yelled.

"Oh, the cop on the front of the newspaper? She's one of yours?" Voight nodded tensely. There was a long pause before the other guy spoke again. "Should've taken better care of her." He laughed, trying to push himself away from Voight. Jay saw what was going to happen before Voight moved, but he wasn't quite in time to stop him.

By the time he got there, Voight had the other guy on the floor with a gun pressed to his head. "You've got until the count of three to tell me everything you know." Voight hissed menacingly, his finger resting against the trigger. "One... Two..."

"Ok! Ok!" Jay let out a sigh of relief as he heard those words leave the guys mouth. He was never sure if Voight would actually carry though some of the threats he made, but judging by the look on his face he probably would've done today. "There's this guy... I don't know his name... Peter something? He knows this guy who works in that hotel, the one they were talking about in the paper? He was in here the other day to get some stuff from me and he said something about girls... But I can't remember anything else..." He said quickly.

"Does this Peter have a last name?" Voight asked, releasing his hold and putting his gun away.

"Not that I know." The other guy answered, scrambling up off the floor and as far away from Voight as he could get.

Voight nodded quickly, turning and leaving without another words. Jay followed quickly after him, not knowing if the information they'd just gotten was going to be of any use or not. He was trying to be optimistic, knowing the clock was ticking and they didn't have time to waste.

* * *

Erin came around tied to a different chair, in an entirely different room. As her vision cleared she looked around the basement she was in, her ears focusing in on two voices that could be heard above her. She recognized the first voice as the man who'd kidnapped her, the second one sounded familiar too, but she didn't know why. She strained her ears, trying to listen in on the conversation.

"A cop? Are you serious! What were you thinking?!"

"I didn't know she was a fricking cop did I! I'm not stupid!"

"Why the hell did you bring her here?!"

"What else was I supposed to do?!"

"Get rid of her!"

"I don't want to go to jail for murdering a cop!"

"So don't get caught! Do it, dump her and run!"

"This is your fault! Don't try and-"

"No Michael, you're the one who took her- I haven't done anything!"

"But you-"

"But nothing, It's not me they're looking for... I've told you what I'd do and that's it... I'm not having anything to do with this."

There was a long pause, Erin holding her breath as she waited to see what else they would say. She didn't hear anything else, other than the sound of footsteps coming closer. She felt her heart rate accelerate as she considered what was about to happen. She struggled against the ties on her hands and feet, wondering if she could work them loose enough to get away. She looked around the room trying to see if there was anything she could use as a weapon to defend herself but there was nothing, and her hands were tied too tightly. She was defenseless, left waiting to see what her fate would be.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys, sorry I'm not managing to update this regularly- It's pretty rare that I actually get the time to write anything any more! I'm going to make an effort to try and get a fair chunk of this written this weekend though, so with a bit of luck you might get another update tomorrow night! Thanks so much for all your lovely reviews on this story so far, it makes me so happy to read them and see that you're all enjoying reading this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. I hope you enjoy this update, please leave a review and let me know what you think!_

"I'm on my way." Voight said, the tension clearly audible in his voice as he hung up the phone. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to shake the sickening feeling in his stomach. He didn't want to know what he might be about to see, he wished he didn't have to. He forced himself to stand up and put on his jacket, dragging himself out of the door of his office. The rest of the intelligence units heads snapped up as his door opened, each of them holding their breath subconsciously as they took in Voight's shaken expression.

There was a long, tense silence- Antonio finally asking the question that they were all too afraid to ask. "Is there any news?"

Voight nodded slowly, his mouth going dry. He opened his mouth, trying to formulate the words. He wasn't an emotional person, but the thought of Erin- the girl who was more or less his daughter... He didn't even want to consider it. He shook himself out of his thoughts, realising there was a room full of people staring at him and waiting for an answer. "They found a body- down by the river. I'm going down there now to-" He stopped shaking his head. There wasn't much he could do other than pray it wasn't Erin.

There was silence in the room as everyone else continued to stare at him. Voight nodded slightly, before turning to walk out of the room.

The drive to the river seemed to take an eternity, but he almost wished it could've taken longer. He knew he'd never be able to get the image out of his head if it was her, he was still haunted by the images of things he'd seen in his time as a cop. He didn't need that image in his head, he didn't think he'd survive it. As he turned his car off the road and headed towards the gathering of police vehicles he could see ahead, he could've sworn his heart stopped.

Everyone's heads snapped around as he parked his car, slowly climbing out. He forced himself to walk across to the small tent that had been erected beside the river, his stomach churning as he saw the sheet covering a body. He ducked under the tape, slowly walking across the grass, willing himself to hold it together. As he reached the tent he was relieved to see the familiar faces of Burgess and Atwater looking back at him. "Is..?" He didn't need to finish the sentence for them to understand what he was meaning.

Burgess shook her head quickly. "It's not her... We think it's the 2nd girl- Amy Klein."

Voight hardly heard anything she said after that, overwhelmed with the relief that it wasn't Erin. He pulled out his phone, quickly sending a message to the rest of the unit.

'It's not her.' Jay had never thought three words could cause such immense relief. The wait to hear from Voight had been absolutely unbearable- it was so quiet in the office that they would've heard a pin drop. There was a collective sigh of relief as they read the message, but the relief was short lived- Erin was still out there, and they needed to find her or there was a very real possibility that it could be Erin next.

Erin listened as she heard the footsteps make their way down the stairs, one creaking step at a time. It was like watching a horror movie, knowing nothing good could come of it- only it wasn't one of the rubbish horror movies she'd watched with Jay, it was actually happening to her. She struggled again against the ties that held her wrists and ankles, one last futile attempt to free herself- not that it mattered, there was no way out and she had nothing to defend herself with.

She flinched, hearing the footsteps stop as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She squinted as the lights were turned on suddenly, the bright lights blinding her after being in darkness for so long. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light she felt her stomach drop as she took in the man standing in front of her. She'd recognised the voice slightly, but now he was standing there in front of her she knew exactly who he was. He flashed her a grin, leaning down over her. "Well, well. Detective Lindsay, it's been a while... And my, haven't the tables turned!" He laughed, raising his hand and smacking her hard in the face. Erin recoiled as the pain shot through her face. "This was all a bit of an accident, you ending up here like this- but I have to say, it's worked out rather well... Don't you think?"

_Thoughts?_


	6. Chapter 6

_Well, first of all- thank you so much for all your lovely reviews on the update I posted last night! They really motivated me to crack on and write this next part for all you lovely people! Here you go, I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

Jay was drumming his fingers on desk absent-mindedly. He'd been staring at his computer screen for the past ten minutes, watching the same clip over and over again. He'd watched the footage of his partner getting in to the elevator in the hotel lobby what felt like hundreds of times. He should've been there with her. He didn't know why he was sat there, staring at that footage, he just found himself watching it over and over again, hoping that something in his head would click, that maybe he'd have some kind of idea that might help them to find his partner. His eyes wandered upwards, to the empty desk that sat opposite his, the space where his partner should've been sat.

"Halstead!" The sound of Antonio shouting in his ear snapped him out of what he was doing.

"Mmm?" He asked, his eyes flickering back to the image on the screen.

"Come on, lets go!" Antonio said, pulling him up out of his seat.

Jay grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and started to follow Antonio towards the door. "Go where?" He asked curiously, it wasn't as if they had any leads that they could try to follow. "We don't have any leads."

Antonio sighed. "If you'd been paying attention to anything I said in the past ten minutes then you'd know that we might have something! We're going to the prison- one of the inmates is claiming he knows something.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think he's telling the truth?" He asked doubtfully as he climbed in to the passenger seat.

Antonio shrugged. "I don't know- but at the minute it's all we've got."

Jay nodded in agreement. It was a long shot, but there was a slim chance it might pay off.

* * *

"Who is this guy anyway?" Jay asked as he walked through the hallway to the interrogation room beside Antonio.

Antonio shrugged. "Some guy that Erin was involved in taking down before she was in intelligence... They were part of some kind of prostitution ring."

Jay was silent as the reached the door, following Antonio in. As they sat at the table, opposite the man who claimed to know what had happened to his partner, he clenched and unclenched his fists under the table, trying to keep control of his anger, something that didn't go unnoticed by Antonio.

"What are you going to do to make this worth my while?" The guy in front of them asked, looking at them both curiously. "I mean one of your own taken... That's gotta be worth a fair bit to me, am I right?"

Jay struggled to bite his tongue, preventing himself from going over there and smacking the guy. He just about managed to restrain himself, knowing he needed to play nice if they were going to get the information that they needed.

Antonio spoke calmly after a few seconds hesitation. "We can make it worth your while, depending on the information you can give us. But you have my word, you'll get whatever it is you need."

There was another pause, before the man in front of them nodded slowly. "Ok.. I'll talk."

Jay let out a small sigh of relief, reminding himself not to get too excited- they had no way of knowing if this guy was going to turn out to be a credible source of information or not. Antonio took out a pen and nodded at him to begin talking.

"My old boss, Daniel O'Sullivan- he was running a business doing some, let's just say less than legal things... Detective Lindsay was part of the team that raided the business he was running that I worked for... Which is why I'm in here now... But they never caught him, he always managed to get away with it somehow... Anyway, he came to visit me this morning, I'm up for parole soon and he said he'd got some work lined up for me when I got out- and that we wouldn't have to worry about that Detective any more, he was taking care of it."

Jay and Antonio looked at each other, then back at the man in front of them. "Did he say what kind of work he'd got for you?" Jay asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

He shook his head. "No, but I'd guess it's probably along the lines of what we were doing last time."

Jay's stomach flipped. "Do you have an address for him?"

"He used to run a few things out of a warehouse on an abandoned industrial area- I don't know if he's still using that though."

Antonio nodded. "Thanks for your help." He stood up quickly and headed out of the door with Jay.

Jay pulled out his phone and quickly called back to the precinct. "I need you to get me all of the files from a case Erin worked a few years back- Daniel O'Sullivan."

* * *

"So who exactly is this O'Sullivan guy?" Ruzek asked, looking at Jay and Antonio who were reading through the files they had on him.

Voight spoke before either of them had a chance to answer the question. "Erin was working on that case for a while- I remember her telling me about it. This guy, O'Sullivan, was running some kind of high end prostitution business along side his drug running.. She spent months trying to get him for it but he was untouchable. There was never anyway to link him directly to what was happening. She got more or less everyone that was working for him, but she never managed to get him."

Antonio nodded slowly. "Ok, so he's got a motive- but why would he have taken her from the hotel? If he knew he was a cop then he would've known the ID she was using was fake."

"It wasn't him." Jay said, holding up the photo from the file. "This is not the guy who we saw following her in to the elevator."

"You're right- so now we need to work out if O'Sullivan is actually involved, or if that other guy just told you a bunch of lies." Voight said, pacing across the room.

"What if it's just coincidence?" Ruzek said, causing everyone to turn around and stare at him. "No need to look at me like I'm insane- stranger things have happened!"

Voight frowned. "I really don't think-"

"Just hear me out!" Ruzek interrupted. "What if this O'Sullivan guy has someone on the inside who's grabbing the girls for him- this guy doesn't know who Erin is, so he sees the opportunity, takes the girl... He takes her to O'Sullivan, then they realise who she is."

There was silence in the room, everyone staring at Ruzek, before Voight nodded slowly. "It's possible I guess... Have you got an address on that warehouse yet?"

"I've got it here- do you want me to get a warrant?" Antonio asked.

Voight shook his head. "Don't bother, let's go."

"You can't just bust in there with out a warrant." Antonio tried to reason, knowing it was pointless considering who he was talking too.

"They took Erin, as far as I'm concerned the rules don't apply in this situation." He shot back over his shoulder as he ran down the stairs with everyone else close behind him.

* * *

Erin cringed back further in to her chair as he pulled up a chair in front of her, leaning against the back of it. "You see, Detective Lindsay, this little situation I've found myself in is testament to the fact you should only ever use someone you trust to do something for you." He smirked and leant in closer to her, making her flinch. "The trouble is, thanks to you- everyone I'd normally asked is locked up and unavailable... So I've had to get a little creative with who I'm using these days, which I have to say, has caused more than a few problems recently... But you see, it's not all that bad... If that imbecile hadn't screwed up then I wouldn't have had this opportunity to chat with you! That has to be a bonus, don't you agree?" He laughed.

Erin glared back at him. "They're going to get you for this... Don't think for a second you'll get away with it."

"She speaks!" He laughed, standing up and towering over her. "What makes you so sure about that? You still haven't even realised that half of the girls I've got working for me are missing, let alone who's taken them." He leant in closer, whispering in her ear. "By the time they figure out where you are, you'll be on the bottom of the river and I'll be back in Mexico." He said with a smirk, before turning the lights out and leaving Erin sat alone in the cold, dark basement once again.

* * *

"Do you really think she's here?" Jay asked, looking over to his boss as they strapped on their vests and checked their guns.

Voight shrugged. "I don't know- it's the only possibility we've got so far."

"What's next- if she's not here? Do you honestly believe that this O'Sullivan guy is involved?" He asked.

"I don't know Halstead, it's possible. Erin cost him a lot of money, he'd got a profitable business going and she destroyed more or less every part of it.. If the opportunity for revenge arose I'm pretty sure he'd take it. We just have to hope we find her before he does anything to her."

Jay nodded, picking up his radio as they got out of the car. "Ready when you are."

"Copy." He heard Antonio reply, as they made their way towards the back entrance.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey guys, me again! The weather has been pretty bad here, so I've had lots of unexpected writing time- meaning you guys get one more update this weekend! Thanks so much to everyone who's reading and leaving reviews on this story, it means so much to me. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"Three, two, one..." Voight counted down quietly in to the radio. Jay looked down at his hands, surprised he was able to hold his gun steady. He didn't think he'd ever been quite so on edge waiting to go in before.

There was a loud smash as they kicked the door down, needing some considerable force to break their way in, Jay squinting to adjust to the dim lighting inside of the warehouse. It felt odd, being there with Voight behind him instead of Erin- he was so used to her being there to have his back it was strange without her there. They moved quickly and quietly through the warehouse, their eyes straining to check each and every possible hiding space.

They were just starting to get disheartened, when they opened the last door- bursting in on a small group of men frantically packing some kind of white powder in to bags. "Bingo." Voight muttered beside him as the four men in front of them slowly raised their hands.

* * *

"Trust me, one of them will talk- you've just got to convince them it's in their best interests." Voight said, nodding in the direction of the interrogation rooms that held the men they'd arrested at the warehouse. "One of them must have an address, some kind of way to trace him."

They nodded slowly, each walking away to go in to a different room. Jay walked in to the first room, slamming the door closed behind him. He took a seat opposite the boy in front of him, who couldn't have been much older than eighteen. "It's not looking good for you." He said slowly, trying to think of a way to get him talking. "That was quite some operation you guys were running in there. You'll be going to jail for quite some time." He looked up to see if he'd got the boys attention. "That is, unless you can give me the information I need."

There was a few moments silence, Jay watching as the boy processed what he was being told. "What do you want to know?" He asked hesitantly.

Jay had to admit, he felt sorry for the boy, but he still needed the information on where his partner might be. "We need to find Daniel O'Sullivan- if you can give me any information on where we might find him I can talk to the DA for you." Jay said quickly.

There was another long pause. "I did a drop here this morning." He paused to write down an address. "We usually put the... product, in the basement but he told us to put it elsewhere today because he was using the basement for something else. That's all I know."

Jay nodded, picking up the piece of paper from the desk. "Thanks."

"Please tell us you've got something? The rest of them just want their lawyers." Antonio asked as he walked out of the interrogation room.

Jay nodded, passing him the paper. "He did a drop there this morning- apparently he's got something else going on in the basement."

Voight nodded slowly. "Okay, that's gotta be worth a try... Let's go."

* * *

Erin blinked as the bright lights dazzled her, trying to get her bearings as the room in front of her spun. She'd got a pounding headache, and no memory of how she'd ended up slumped in the corner of the room on the floor. She tried to raise one of her hands, that were now free of ties, up to touch her forehead, hissing as a sharp pain shot through her shoulder.

She sat quietly for a few moments, becoming aware of voices above her. "What do you... When did that happen?... So... What do we... Okay.." She recognised his voice, realising he must have been on the phone since she couldn't hear a second voice.

There was a few moments silence, then the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs towards her. As he reached the bottom step he looked over to her, a grin on his face. "Oh good, you're awake. There's been a change of plans."

Erin stared at him, struggling to catch her breath as every intake of air felt like a kick in the stomach.

"What's the matter? Nothing to say for yourself?" He laughed. "Well, isn't that unusual for you!" He walked over to her, leaning over her and she tried to back away from him. "Turns out your little friends are coming to us!" He pulled a remote out of his pocket, turning on a tv screen which showed CCTV footage of the outside of the house. "Now all we have to do is sit and wait... I must say, I'm glad you woke up in time for the last part of this... I would've hated for you to miss this."

Erin watched as he walked over to a cupboard in the corner, pulling out a gun and loading it before turning back to face her. "You'll be outnumbered, you wont get away with it." She said, her voice trembling slightly.

He laughed dryly. "You clearly don't understand my plan... I'm not going to shoot your friends, well- not unless they make me... No, you're my insurance plan... Holding you hostage is my way out of here." He explained to Erin.

Erin felt her stomach drop as she comprehended what was happening. He was using her as a bargaining tool, a way to escape arrest. If the intelligence unit tried to arrest him, he'd shoot her... If he got away, he'd probably kill her anyway... Either way, she was dead- and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

A few long moments of silence passed, before he spoke again. "Look." He said, gesturing towards the screen. "The show is about to begin." Erin's eyes flicked up to the screen as she watched her colleagues walk up the steps to the front of the house. As she watched them on the screen he came around behind her, dragging her to her feet and pressing the gun to the side of her head. Erin flinched as the sound of splintering wood was heard above, then the footsteps of her friends and colleagues above them. She knew it was only a matter of time before they came down to the basement. She should've been relieved that they'd found her, but all she could think of was the horror of what was about to happen to her.


	8. Chapter 8

_I'd just like to say a special thanks to Minxheart and Goggiebe, your lovely comments on each update I've written motivated me to do this next part- I hope you enjoy it guys!_

Erin stood, frozen to the spot in fear, as she listened to the sounds of her friends footsteps moving through the house above them. She tensed as she heard them grow closer, nearing the door that would lead to the basement. She winced as her kidnapper tightened his grip around her, pressing the gun firmly to her head. "Scream, or even move an inch and I'll kill you." He whispered in her ear, looking up as the door at the top of the stairs creaked open.

There was absolute silence, then the sound of five pairs of feet slowly making their way down the stairs. Erin strained her eyes in the dim light that was coming from the torches to see who it was. She squinted as someone found the light switch, the bright lights burning her eyes.

"Don't come any closer." She'd almost forgotten about the man standing behind her until he spoke. Her attention returned firmly to the cool metal of the gun that was pressed against her head.

Her friends stopped dead in their tracks at the bottom of the stairs, looking at her, and then at each other. Erin looked at them, meeting Jay's eyes. His expression was not one she'd seen before as he looked at her, then at Voight and then the man who was holding a gun to her head. Voight raised a foot to step towards them, causing the grip around Erin to tighten further.

"I said, don't come any closer!" He shouted, making Voight step back to his original position. "I swear to God I'll kill her the next time one of you makes a move!"

"What do you want O'Sullivan?" Voight asked, surprising Erin with how calm he sounded.

There was a small laugh. "I'm going to walk out of here, and you aren't going to stop me." He said, dragging Erin across the room. Jay didn't miss the way his partners face contorted with the effort of holding back a scream of pain as he did so.

Voight nodded. "Ok... As long as you let Erin go."

He laughed again. "Do you honestly think I'm stupid? No way, she's coming with me." He snapped back, his finger resting on the trigger of the gun.

Voight and the rest of the intelligence unit took a slow step forwards, Erin shooting a pleading look at her partner as they did so. There was no way they would let him walk out of there, she was dead for sure if that happened. The question was, would she survive any attempt to get her away from her attacker?

"Do you have a shot?" Voight murmured almost in audibly, his eyes flickering to each member of the unit.

"Maybe... It's not a clear one though." Jay mumbled back, looking at his boss for some kind of direction. There was no way he could shoot at him, there was just too much risk of hitting Erin.

"No." Voight said quickly, thinking exactly the same thing as Halstead. They needed to work out a plan b.

Erin winced as she was dragged further back in to the corner, his arm was pressing against her ribs which were in absolute agony. She looked over to her partner again, wondering if he'd get the message she was trying to convey to him.

Jay watched his partner, trying not to look at the brightly coloured bruises that covered her exposed skin, the way her dress was ripped and hanging off her shoulders... He didn't want to think about what those men might have done to her. She was trying to tell him something, he could tell- he just wasn't really sure what.

It took a few seconds, then his mind flashed back to a conversation they'd had in the car a few weeks back.

"_I'd want you to shoot." Erin said, looking at him seriously._

"_What do you mean?" Jay asked, trying to understand the turn their conversation had taken._

"_If a suspect had got me- even if there wasn't a clear shot.. I'd want you to shoot if there was no other way." She clarified, continuing to look ahead as she drove through the streets._

_Jay was silent for a few seconds. "What if I hit you?" He asked, the thought making him feel sick._

_Erin gave him a small smile. "You're a pretty good shot Jay, I trust you... Besides, you'd just count to three, I'd duck... What can go wrong?"_

_Jay pulled a face. "Oh, I don't know- I could shoot you maybe!"_

_Erin laughed. "Oh ha-ha Jay, real funny!" She retorted sarcastically, before looking at him seriously. "In all seriousness though, that's what I'd want you to do."_

He snapped back to the present moment to find Erin still looking at him pleadingly, nodding slightly. He looked at the gun in his hand, his stomach flipping as he did so. Could he really take a shot, knowing there was a fifty-fifty shot he'd hit his partner. Erin gave another small nod of encouragement- she could see from the look on his face he'd remembered their conversation.

It felt like an eternity to Jay, while he had an internal battle with himself, wondering if it really was the only option. He looked at Erin as she started to move her mouth. "One... Two..." She mouthed.

"Three." He whispered with her, his finger closing around the trigger of his gun.

Everything that happened after that was a blur.. Erin wrenching herself free from her captor, dropping down to the ground as the gunshot echoed around the basement. He heard the echo of several other gunshots, the automatic reaction from his colleagues to what had just happened as they tried to work out where the original gun shot had come from.

Jay felt the relief flood through him as he watched Erin's captor drop to the ground as he rushed forwards towards where his partner had collapsed on to the floor. "Erin?" He said as he knelt down beside her.

Her eyes snapped open as she heard his voice. "I told you that you were a good shot." She said weakly, her laugh coming out as a small cough. "Thank you." She mumbled, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Erin?" Jay said again, shaking her gently as Voight appeared on the other side of her.

"Erin?" Voight appeared on the other side of her. "Erin?"

"Mmm..." She mumbled, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Erin? Where does it hurt?" Voight asked, his eyes frantically scanning over her.

"Everywhere.." She whispered, her eyes snapping open again and a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"What the hell were you thinking Halstead." Voight spat, glaring at him.

Jay opened his mouth to protest when Erin spoke again. "Leave him alone... I... asked..." She mumbled, her eyes closing again. Neither of them had the chance to say anything else, being pushed out of the way as the ambulance arrived.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey guys! Im back again with another update for you all, i hope you enjoy! How amazing was this weeks episode?! I can't wait for the next one! Hope you enjoy this in the meantime, let me know what you think!_

Jay stood nervously in the waiting room at the hospital with the rest of his unit. He could see two officers stood by the room down the hall, guarding the man who had taken his partner hostage. Voight was still no where to be seen, something which was causing him a huge amount of relief. After the paramedics had taken Erin away Antonio and Ruzek had very nearly had to restrain Voight after he'd lost it with Halstead for taking the shot.

He tried to shake the thought from his head. Even thinking about standing there with his gun pointed at his partner was making him feel sick. He flinched feeling a hand on his shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw Antonio standing next to him. "Sorry, i didn't mean to scare you.. How are you holding up?" Antonio asked.

Jay shrugged- he'd got no idea how he felt about what had happened.

Antonio sighed quietly. "Voight will calm down eventually, you've got to give him time... And as for Lindsay, i think she'll be grateful you got her out of there."

Jay nodded slowly. "Thanks Dawson.. I just hope shes going to be ok after this."

"Physically, she will be fine... Mentally... I don't even want to think about what they could've done to her."

Jay clenched his jaw. Even the thought of what that man could've done to his partner made him furious. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle knowing what had actually happened.

They stood, leaning against the wall in silence, for what seemed like an eternity before a doctor came out to speak to them. "How is she?" Jay asked, rubbing his hand across his face. He was definitely starting to feel the effects of having not slept for three days.

The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile. "She'll make a full recovery, nothing life threatening. There is some heavy bruising, a couple of cracked ribs and a broken nose. She's sleeping at the moment but you can see her if you'd like?"

Jay nodded eagerly, Antonio giving his arm a quick squeeze as he stepped forward to follow the doctor to his partners room.

Jay cringed internally as he looked at his sleeping partner. The dark purplish bruises that covered her face and the distinct hand prints around her wrists were a sharp contrast to the white bed sheets. Even while she was sleeping she was frowning, something he could just see under the bandages covering the stitches that had been used on the huge wound on the back of her head. He sat quietly in the chair beside her bed, his eyes resting on her face as he tried not to look at the bruises that covered her. They'd been lucky- to say the least. He was well aware of how lucky he'd been when he'd taken that shot... He didn't even like to think about what could've happened if luck hadn't been on their side in that basement.

He couldn't tell how long he'd been sat there, lost in thought, when he became aware of erin starting to thrash around in the bed next to him. After a few seconds hesitation he put his hand on her arm and gently shook her, trying not to hurt her. "Erin? Erin wake up!" Her eyes flew open, her expression one of sheer panic. "Its ok, you're safe- it was just a dream." Jay said in an attempt to soothe her. Much to his dismay her eyes filled with tears.

After a few moments silence she looked up at him. "Is it really over?" She whispered in a tiny voice.

Jay nodded, forcing himself to smile reassuringly. "We got him, you're safe now Erin." He started to reach his hand back out towards her, retracting it quickly as she flinched and moved away from him.

"Im sorry.." She started to mumble an apology but he interrupted her.

"You don't have to apologise Erin... I cant imagine what you've been through..." He paused as she tried to avoid making eye contact with him. "I just want you to know I'm here... What ever you need... If you want to talk or-"

Erin cut him off. "I don't." She snapped. "I want to forget."

Jay nodded slowly. He knew from experience that burying her head in the sand and pretending nothing had happened wasn't going to help- sooner or later she'd have to deal with what had gone on in that basement, no matter how much she wanted to forget about it. He kept quiet though, erin wasn't in the mood to hear that. "Okay." He said quietly, sitting silently beside the bed as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

He was still sat there by her bed when Kelly Severide arrived several hours later. Jay watched as the other man walked in to the room, glaring at Jay, his expression softening as he looked over at Erin.

"I've got it from here." He said frostily as he walked over to Jay, motioning for him to leave.

Jay shook his head. "I'm staying. She's my partner." He said, looking back over at Erin. If he was honest, he'd totally forgotten about Erin's thing with the fireman- Antonio must have called him.

"I said I've got it." Severide glared at him. "She doesn't need a partner who's going to let her get kidnapped." He added under his breath.

Jay slowly got up from the chair, walking quickly out of the door before Severide had a chance to see the effect those words had on him. He would've done anything to be able to wind back the clock and stop Erin getting in that elevator, he didn't know how many times he'd wished he could've switched places with her. Severide was right though, when it came down to it he should've had her back- that was his job, and he'd failed her.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey Guys, I wanted to finish this for you yesterday but time got away from me! I hope you enjoy this now I've finally finished. Please keep the lovely reviews coming- it really does make my day reading them all._

_Ps, to the 'guest' user who is going around leaving nasty comments on all of my stories- if you dont like it, dont read it.. Simple as! I'll just keep deleting them!_

"Hey, Halstead! Wait up!" Antonio called, running down the stairs from the intelligence unit.

Jay sighed, reluctantly coming to a stop. "What's up?" He asked, although was almost certain he knew what Antonio was going to say to him.

"Why haven't you been to see Lindsay?" Antonio asked, looking at Jay.

He shrugged. "She doesn't want me there."

Antonio frowned, it wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. "Whats that supposed to mean? You're her partner, of course she does!"

Jay struggled to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "It means I'm not wanted there." He said, turning to walk away. He could hear Antonio chasing after him.

"You need to go see her Jay! You're her partner! She needs you!" He called, watching as Jay walked quickly towards his car.

Jay quickly drove off, wanting to avoid any further conversation with Antonio. He had no idea how many times Jay had driven to the hospital and then sat in the parking lot, staring at Severide's car. He just couldn't make himself get out of the car and walk up those stairs. He couldn't look a the bruises on his partners face, the bruises that were there because he hadn't protected her.

He hadn't even realised he was driving in the direction of the hospital until he reached the parking lot. It had been come a force of habit in the week that had passed since they'd found erin. He pulled in to his normal parking space in the corner, looking around to see if he could see Severide's car anywhere. He checked again when he didn't find it the first time, surprised. It definitely wasn't there. Maybe Erin had gone home- that seemed more likely than Kelly having actually left her- then again, surely Antonio would've mentioned it?

Without even thinking about it he found himself getting out of the car and running through the rain to the entrance of the hospital, taking the stairs up to the ward he knew erin had been on. He didn't bother stopping at the nurses station, instead walking straight down to Erin's room. It almost surprised him when he looked through the window and saw his partner laying there, just as she had been a week ago- he'd been convinced he was going to find the room empty.

He hesitated by the door for a few moments, she looked as though she was sleeping peacefully- something he knew from experience wasn't easy to do after a traumatic experience. He opened the door slowly and crept in to the room, trying not to wake her up. He'd just sit with her for a bit, just incase she woke up. He hadn't even taken two steps in to the room when her eyes flew open, a terrified expression on her face. "Its just me." Jay said, holding his hands up as he slowly walked towards her. "Sorry, i didn't mean to wake you."

Erin took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. The fear was irrational- it was Jay, the partner she sat beside every day at work- he'd never hurt her, she knew that. But still, her heart was beating erratically and her hands were trembling slightly. "Its fine." She said, in a tone that suggested it was far from fine. "I wasn't sleeping anyway."

"Are you sure?" Jay asked, gesturing to the chair by her bed.

Erin nodded, forcing a smile. "Really- i was just pretending to sleep so they'd leave me alone."

"Who?" Jay asked curiously, his eyes following Erin's gaze out of the window.

"They're trying to get my statement." She explained as Jay looked at the two officers who were standing just outside the window.

"You need to talk to them Erin. They cant prosecute the guy if not." Jay said, smiling sympathetically.

Erin nodded, blinking back a few tears. "I know... I just.." She choked back a sob. "They keep asking all these questions... And... I just... I don't even know what happened Jay! How am i supposed to explain that to them?" She wiped her hand roughly across her face as the tears she had been fighting back for a week spilled down her cheeks.

"I'll be right back." Jay said, standing up abruptly after a long silence. He didn't miss the way erin flinched at the sudden movement. Erin frowned in confusion as she watched him walk out of the room, wondering where it was he was going that was so important. She realised what he was doing almost immediately as she watched him approach the two officers outside her room. He flashed his badge as them and then a few words later they nodded and left.

As Jay walked back in to the room Erin raised an eyebrow at him. "They wont be bothering you again- i told them id take care of it." He said with a small smile as he sat back down.

Erin felt the relief wash through her. "Thanks Jay." After a few moments hesitation she spoke again. "Ive missed you this week... Where have you been?"

Jay sighed quietly, his eyes wandering around the room for a second before he looked back at his partner. The bruises around her her face were fading slightly, but she still looked as tired and pale as she had when they'd found her. "Ive had a lot going on,, besides, the fireman has been here to look after you."

Jay totally missed the expression the crossed Erins face as he mentioned Kelly. "Well, Ruzek, Antonio and Olinsky have still been in." She said.

Jay bit back a sarcastic response. It wasn't the time or place. "Oh please, Ruzek never does any work anyway! I mean seriously Erin, i need you back- its driving my nuts having him as a partner!"

Erin laughed, properly, for the first time in weeks as she looked over at her partner. "Oh please, you're so much worse than Ruzek! Who said I'm coming back to you anyway? I might just leave you with Ruzek!"

Jay raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't."

They were so preoccupied with their laughter that they didn't notice Kelly Severide stood by the window watching them laughing together before he quickly turned and walked away.

A few moments after Kelly had left the laughter died down, Jay looking seriously at his partner. "You know if you ever want to talk i'll be here to listen, right?" Jay asked.

Erin nodded quickly. She could already feel her heart rate climbing at the thought of having to relive what had happened. "Just not yet." She whispered.

Jay nodded. "Whenever you decide you're ready." He said with a small smile. He raised his hand to squeeze her arm without even thinking about it, quickly retracting it as she cringed away from him.

"Sorry i-" she started, but he cut her off.

"Its ok Erin, you don't have to explain yourself... I understand." He said, leaning back in his chair.

"Thank you." Erin whispered, resting her head back against the pillows.

"You can sleep you know.. I'm here, nothing is going to happen to you." Jay said, looking at how tired she looked.

Erin's whole body stiffened as she remembered the horrific nightmares she'd had every time she closed her eyes.

"They'll pass... It all gets better with time." Jay said gently, answering the question she hadn't even asked. Erin didn't respond, just letting out a small sigh and reluctantly closing her eyes- praying to sleep without being haunted by the face of her attacker.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey guys, I've been writing and re writing this next part for a while now.. I'm still not sure I'm entirely happy with how this turned out but I've decided to post it and move on to the next part or I'm never going to get anywhere! I hope you enjoy this next part, let me know what you think._

_(PS... If you're going to leave a review telling me that I should give up writing then don't bother.. I write because I enjoy it, no one is forcing you to read this if you think it's that bad!)_

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"Hey." Jay said quietly, walking in to her hospital room. It had been nearly a week since he'd first visited her. He'd been back at least once every day since then, if not more than that. Each time he breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't run in to Kelly Severide. Even though he knew there was some truth in what the fireman had said to him, he still wanted to be there for his partner.

"Hi." Erin mumbled, not looking up at him as she twisted the sheets between her fingers.

"Erin? What's wrong?" Jay asked, sitting down on the small plastic chair beside the bed as he looked at his partner. The bruises on her face had almost disappeared, leaving just a small line of stitches below her hairline to remind him of why she was there.

"They want me to go home." Erin said quietly after a few moments silence.

"That's good news isn't it?" Jay asked. Erin nodded weakly, still staring at the bed sheets. "So why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" He asked.

Erin looked up at him, sighing quietly as she blinked back a few tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I'm scared Jay." She whispered. "Every time someone walks past, every time someone comes in here... I just... I can't help but think it's him coming back for me." She choked out.

Jay slowly reached out to take her hand, not wanting to alarm her. He squeezed her hand gently as he spoke. "He's not coming back Erin. He's going straight to jail once he gets out of the hospital... You don't have to go home if you don't want to.. You could stay with Voight, Kelly... Or even me if you think you could put up with me." He said, giving her a small smile.

Erin gave him a half smile in return as she drew in a shaky breath, trying to calm the panic that was rising in her stomach at the thought of leaving the hospital. She felt safer there, she knew no one could get to her and if she needed them, there was always someone there. She knew Jay was right, Voight and Kelly would let her stay with them if she asked. Kelly had offered when he'd been there earlier, but she'd said no and she had no idea why. As for Voight, there was something that just didn't feel right about it... She knew he'd worry about her even more than he already was. "Do you really mean that?" She blurted out, before she'd even realised the words were leaving her mouth.

Jay looked slightly surprised by her question. "Of course I do! Although, if you'd rather we can always ask Olinksy if he's got room in his garage for you?"

Erin couldn't help but laugh as she smacked him playfully. She'd missed her partner, she could always rely on him for a good laugh. "And you're sure you don't mind?" She asked, looking at him seriously. "I won't be getting in the way of you and whatever the hell that girl you're sleeping with this week is called?"

"Seriously Erin, it's fine... And I'm not that bad! That was like once, and I ended it!" He complained as she laughed again.

"Yeah yeah Halstead... You forget I know what you're really like! Playing scrabble my ass!" She teased.

Jay pulled a face at her before bursting out laughing. He really had missed her. "You're sure the fireman is going to be okay with that?" He asked when they finally stopped laughing. If he was honest he was more than a little confused as to why she wasn't staying with Severide.

Erin sighed, shifting uncomfortably. "I don't know Jay.. I just... Things have changed... I don't know how to explain it."

Jay nodded. "I get it." He really did. He knew exactly what it was like to see and experience things so horrific that others couldn't even imagine them. It wasn't easy to try and slot back in to day to day life as though nothing had happened. "You can crash at mine as long as you need." He promised.

"Thanks." Erin said gratefully.

"It's what partners are for." Jay said, knowing she'd be there for him without hesitation if the situation was reversed. He held out his hand to help her up as she looked at him curiously. "Come on, you've been laying in this bed long enough... Let's go... This chair is killing me!" He said, gesturing at the tiny little plastic chair that he was more than convinced was the source of his back pain.

"Are you sure?" Erin asked, her heart rate was accelerating at the thought of leaving. It was irrational, Jay wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"It'll be fine." Jay said reassuringly, taking her hand and helping her up off the bed. Erin nodded, leaning on him heavily as she walked. She was still sore and the fact she'd hardly moved for several weeks had left her weak and unsteady.

It took a while, but eventually they reached the front entrance of the hospital, having stopped to sign the paperwork on the way out. Erin cringed as she spotted Kelly coming towards them. "Erin?" He asked, giving Jay an icy glare. "Where are you going?"

Erin felt her face flush, she hadn't been expecting to have to explain her decision to Kelly. They'd barely spoken, she tended to pretend to sleep when he visited her. That way she didn't have to answer his constant questions about how she was feeling. She could see his eyes resting on Jay's hands that were around her waist and on her arm to hold her up. "I'm.. I... Um.. I'm... I'm going to stay with Jay for a bit." She stammered.

Kelly frowned. "You don't need to do that.. You can come and stay with me." He said stepping towards her.

Erin couldn't help but flinch and cringe back towards Jay as he moved towards her. She shook her head quickly. "I can't... I'm sorry, I just... I need some space." She choked out. Jay squeezed her hand gently, he'd never known Erin Lindsay to be so nervous and struggle to get her words out.

"Oh." Was the only thing Kelly said, just standing there as Erin started to walk, pulling Jay along beside her.

They eventually reached the car, Erin shuffling along beside Jay who was more or less supporting her entire body weight by that point. After opening the door and helping her in to the passenger seat he quickly climbed in to the car beside her. "Are you okay?" He asked, noticing the moisture in her eyes.

Erin nodded as she blinked back the tears.

"Erin? You know you can talk to me about it-" Jay started, hoping she'd talk. They still hadn't spoken about what had happened in that basement.

She cut him off, knowing what he was trying to do. "Shut up and drive Halstead." She snapped. "Enjoy it while you can because it's not going to happen again." She added in a much lighter tone as he started the engine after one final glance over at his partner.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hello again guys, sorry it's been a while. I've had this written for a few days but I've been putting off posting it. I've received some pretty nasty comments from an anonymous user on here. Constructive criticism on my writing I will take, it's one of the main reasons that I post my writing on here to get feedback- however things that are just plain nasty and also very personal I wont. I've actually considered stopping posting my work on here because I just don't want to have to deal with this, but I've decided to try and carry on to the end of the story so that those of you who've read and left lovely comments on everything I've written will get to read the rest of it. That being said, it's kind of killed my motivation to write so it may take me a while to finish it. I hope you'll be patient with me while I try to finish this._

_P.S. I'd like to apologise for the long and rambling authors note!_

It was exactly 2.47am when the door to the bedroom slowly creaked open. Jay knew that, because he'd been lying there wide awake all night, watching the minutes tick past on the clock. "Jay?" A small voice whispered from the door way, Erin unable to tell if he was awake or not in the tiny crack of light that had come through the door.

Jay sat up, flicking on the light on his bedside table. "What's up Erin?" He asked, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the light. Erin hesitated in the doorway, looking at her partner. "You can come in if you want?" He offered, gently patting the bed next to him.

Erin nodded, forcing her legs to move over towards the bed. She could feel the anxiety rising in her stomach at the thought of being so close to someone. It was irrational, she knew that. She trusted her partner with her life every single day. Of course she could trust him now. That didn't stop her hear trate from accelerating and her breathing speeding up slightly as she slowly laid down on the bed beside him. "Get a grip Erin." She muttered under her breath as she slowly laid her head back against the pillow.

"What?" Jay asked, not catching what she'd said.

"Nothing." Erin said quickly, staring up at the ceiling. She could feel his eyes on her face. She didn't want to look at him, knowing if she did he'd probably be able to read her like an open book. He'd always been able to do that.

"You can talk to me Erin." He said quietly, almost pleadingly. It was driving him crazy that she was keeping it all bottled up inside. He knew from experience that was a dangerous path to walk.

Erin was quiet for a few seconds, the only sound in the room their breathing. "How do you forget something like that Jay?" She asked quietly. She wasn't really expecting him to give her an answer, it was a question no one had the answer too, no matter how much she needed it. How was she supposed to move on with her life when every time she closed her eyes she could see him leaning over her again?

"You don't." Jay answered quietly, taking a deep breath as he struggled to repress all the images that threatened to come flooding back to his own mind. He'd spent so long trying desperately to repress the images of the things he'd seen during his time in the army, things so horrific that the memories themselves were enough to leave him terrified. "You try, you learn different ways to try and cope with it, but it's always there... Just sitting in the back of your mind and waiting for that moment, when your thoughts our unoccupied... When you're lying alone in bed at night- that's when it comes back to haunt you."

Erin raised an eyebrow, turning her head to look at her partner who was laying next to her. "You couldn't have just lied and told me it will all get better eventually?" She asked him.

Jay shrugged. "I could- but I'd be lying... Just like everyone lied to me when I got back, and trust me- it doesn't help."

Erin looked at him curiously. They'd never really spoken about his past either. She knew he'd been in the military, that was it. There was some kind of unspoken agreement between them not to pry in to each others pasts. It was just easier that way. She could tell though from the way he was speaking he knew exactly how she was feeling. "So what do I do?" She asked quietly, after a few moments pause. "How am I supposed to live with what happened?"

Jay sighed again, rolling over to face her. "I don't know Erin... And if you figure out the answer to that question then let me know because I wish I knew."

Erin bit her lip, trying to decide what to say next. "I can't sleep." She choked out eventually. Jay looked at her sympathetically as she wiped a stray tear from her face. "Every time I close my eyes it's like he's right there in front of me again... I just can't do it... And if I do sleep the nightmares are even worse... I can't keep reliving it every night Jay."

Jay nodded slowly. "I know." He said, gently reaching across to squeeze her arm- taking care not to frighten her. Erin stiffened slightly at his touch but didn't pull away. "It gets better with time.. Eventually the memories fade a little bit and you'll start to sleep a little more."

Erin looked at him doubtfully. "That's not what you said earlier."

Jay gave her a sad smile. "I know- but it's what I have to believe is going to happen. It's the only thing that gets me through the bad nights."

"What happened to you Jay?" She asked quietly, the words slipping out of her mouth before she realised what she was saying. "God, sorry- you don't have to answer that." She apologised quickly, feeling her face flush.

Jay shook his head. "It's okay... I get that you're curious... I saw a lot of things out there that I'll never be able to unsee... I watched some of my best friends get killed right infront of me and there was nothing I could do about it... It's not the kind of thing you recover from easily." He paused for breath, trying to collect his thoughts. "I guess I could ask you the same question?" He said, looking at her expectantly.

Erin tensed visibly at his question. "I don't want to talk about it." She muttered, getting up to climb off the bed. Maybe she'd made a mistake in going to talk to him.

"I'm not going to tell anyone Erin... Whatever you say doesn't leave the room... I promise." He said, as she sat up.

She turned to look at him again. "Do you really promise?" She asked, the doubt audible in her voice.

Jay gave her one of the smiles she'd missed the most. "When have I ever broken a promise?" He asked, patting the bed next to him again.

Erin couldn't help but laugh at that statement. "I don't know... How about the time you promised to pay me back the next day when I bought your lunch?" She teased.

"Oh come on!" Jay laughed. "That doesn't count!"

Erin laughed louder. "The first time we worked together and you promised me there was nothing wrong with your driving?"

Jay pulled a face. "There is nothing wrong with my driving."

Erin laid back down beside him still laughing. "What about the time you promised you'd buy me lunch last month?" She laughed.

"Hey!" Jay half shouted. "I did buy you lunch that day!"

Erin caught her breath from laughing. "With my money Halstead!" She laughed, elbowing him in the ribs.

"There has to be some kind of perks to putting up with you all day!" He teased, relieved to see her smiling again.

"I should get something for putting up with you!" Erin shot back at him.

Jay pulled a face before bursting out laughing again. There was a long pause after the laughter died down a few moments later. Jay turning and looking at Erin seriously. "Talk to me?" He said.

Erin bit down on her lip nervously. "Promise me you wont judge me?" She asked.

Jay looked at her curiously, surprised by the words that she'd spoken. "Promise."


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey guys, me again! Sorry it's been a while- my laptop hasn't been working properly and I've not been well.. I'm also kind of lacking the motivation to carry on with this at the moment if I'm honest with you. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who left a lovely review on the last part I posted- it put a smile on my face to know how much you all enjoy reading this and it reminded me that the majority of you out there reading this are actually lovely people! I hope this isn't too awful and disappointing for you! B x_

Erin slowly laid back down on the bed next to him, but he could see the tension in her body as she tried to formulate her sentences- to work out what she was going to say to her partner. "It's ok- take your time." Jay said quietly, stilling his hand that crept towards hers. He didn't want to push her too far.

"I can't believe I was so stupid.." Erin muttered angrily to herself. She should've defended herself, she should've checked where she was before she got out of the elevator... She should've waited until Jay was with her before she got in there. Her own stupidity, that was what it came down to. She'd allowed it to happen. "I'm a fricking cop." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

Jay looked at her curiously, not knowing if he should speak or not. He could see her getting more and more worked up, muttering things under her breath. He stayed silent for a few moments, but eventually he couldn't hold back any longer. "Erin? Talk to me." He pleaded with her.

She didn't answer him, instead quickly standing up and walking to the door. "I have to go." She said bluntly, rushing out of the door.

Jay shot out of bed and ran to his front door, catching it just before it closed behind her. "Erin! Wait!" He yelled, his eyes scanning the darkness for her. He was too late though, she'd already blended in to the freezing cold Chicago night. "Crap."

He was halfway through hurriedly getting dressed to go out and look for his partner when the phone rang. "Erin?" He panted after running through his apartment to locate the ringing phone.

"She's with me." A familiar voice growled down the phone. "Do you want to explain why?"

"What did she say?" Jay asked, wanting to make sure his story matched whatever Erin had told Voight.

"Nothing... It's been total radio silence ever since she turned up on my doorstep... You'd better give me an explanation Halstead... And quickly." Voight growled down the phone. He knew he was being too harsh on Halstead. He was 98% sure what had happened wasn't Jay's fault at all, but he'd all ways been protective over his 'daughter'.

Jay sighed quietly. "She couldn't sleep- we talked for a bit and I thought she was finally going to open up to me, but then she just started muttering to herself and then got up and left. I was just about to go look for her." He explained quickly, his words all running together.

Voight was silent for a few seconds. "She's safe, that's all that matters."

Voight's calmness threw Jay a little,he'd been expecting to be yelled and and threatened. "How is she?" He asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. He'd screwed up, pushed too far. It was his fault.

"I don't know.. If she'd been ten minutes later I wouldn't have even known she was her. She let herself in with my spare key and went straight up to her old room. She didn't even acknowledge me." Voight explained.

Jay could hear the strain in Voight's voice. "I don't know what to suggest." He said, racking his brains for something that they could do to help his partner. "Whatever happened to her, she's desperate to avoid talking about it." He could remember doing that himself.

There was a short pause on the other end of the phone before Voight spoke again. "She'll talk when she's ready- It's Erin... She doesn't do anything unless _she's _ready."

Jay could hear the slight smile in Voight voice as he spoke. It was true- his partner was the most stubborn and strong willed woman he'd ever met. There was no way they could force her to do something she didn't want to do. "Call me if you need anything." Jay added, realising Voight was still on the other end of the phone.

"Thanks Halstead." Voight said, disconnecting the phone. He looked around his empty kitchen, which still looked exactly the same as it had done the first time he'd taken Erin Lindsay in. Yet everything was so different. His eyes came to rest on the photo of him and his wife that hung on the wall. He felt a pang of sadness as he looked at her, the picture smiling back at him. Times like this especially he really wished she was still with them. He knew without a doubt that she would've known exactly what to say to Erin, how to get through to her. He stood there, staring at the picture for a few moments as though it was going to give him the answers, before turning of the light and heading upstairs for what would no doubt be a restless night.

_Sorry it's short- please don't hate me... I struggled to get the motivation to even write this, let alone anything longer._


	14. Chapter 14

_Hey guys, I wrote this whole chapter for you last night then my laptop crashed just before I could upload it and I lost it all! I don't think it's as good this time around but hopefully you'll all enjoy it. Thanks so much for all your lovely comments on the last chapter- it's really motivated me to keep writing. Enjoy!x_

"How you doing kid?" Voight asked, sitting down on the end of the bed in the small room Erin had inhabited as a teenager. It was like turning back the clocks. He couldn't remember how many times they'd been in that situation when Erin was younger- him sat on the edge of the small single bed, Erin ignoring him and pretending to sleep. Only it was different this time, she wasn't even pretending to sleep. She was just laying there, staring up at the ceiling with a vacant expression- just as she had been the other three times he'd tried to talk to her. It was worrying him, she hadn't moved at all. She was just laying there, staring in to space.

"Erin?" He said again, putting his hand gently on her arm. She flinched slightly as he touched her, but didn't pull away. He didn't know if he should be glad that he'd got some kind of reaction or if that should worry him even more. He stayed where he was for a few more minutes, studying her closely. The bruising on her face had mostly faded- the physical evidence of what she'd been through almost gone. It wasn't the physical impact of what had happened to her he was worried about, it was the mental scars it had left behind that she was struggling to deal with. He could see that crease in her forehead that she got when she was worrying about something, he just wished she'd tell him what was going on.

He could come to his own conclusions about what could've happened to Erin. He was praying that the truth about what had happened wasn't as bad as the various scenarios his mind has created, but the longer Erin stayed silent the greater the worry that he might be close to the truth was. Sighing quietly as he got up he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him and walking down the stairs. As he reached the bottom there was a quiet knock at the front door. He didn't even bother to look to see who it was before he opened it, already knowing the answer. "Come in Halstead." He said, gesturing towards the kitchen. He was surprised it had taken Halstead this long to turn up at his door.

"How is she?" Jay asked, shrugging off his jacket and standing awkwardly in his bosses kitchen.

Voight shrugged, running his hand through his hair. "She's still not talking." He said, shaking his head. "Maybe she'll talk to you." He said hopefully.

Jay nodded slowly. "I'll try." He could tell Voight hadn't slept at all the night before- then again neither had he. Voight nodded in the direction of the stairs which Jay took as permission to go find his partner.

"Second door on the left." Voight called after him quietly.

Jay knocked gently on the door Voight had directed him too, pausing for a few seconds for the reply he knew wasn't going to come, before he opened it slowly. She didn't look up as the door creaked gently, but he didn't miss the way her fingers clenched slightly at the noise. "Hey." He said quietly, awkwardly shuffling towards the bed. He had no idea what to say or do in a situation like this- this was when he'd usually look to his partner for guidance.

After a few seconds hesitation he sat down on the corner of the bed carefully, looking up at his partners vacant expression as she continued to stare at the ceiling above her. "Erin?" He said, again getting no response from her. If he couldn't see the rise and fall of her chest with each breath she took he'd be worried she wasn't breathing. "Erin look at me." He pleaded gently. It was scary for him, to see her like that. He was used to his partner being feisty and stubborn, if she had something on her mind she'd say it- something that had got them in trouble on many occasions. He didn't even want to think about what could've happened that could've had this effect on her.

There was a few more seconds silence. "Look, Erin... You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to- not about what happened... I understand. These things are difficult and I get that, we all do... But you can't just lay here silent forever Erin.." He looked at the untouched food that sat on the bed side table. "You need to take care of yourself... You can ignore me for as long as you like but I'm not going anywhere until I see you eat something." He said, watching her expression.

The pause felt like an eternity, he was just about to admit defeat and leave when he noticed a single tear roll down her cheek, her hand coming up to wipe it away so quickly he nearly missed it. He watched as another one rolled down, taking the place of the one she'd just wiped away as she tried desperately to blink back the growing moisture in her eyes. Without warning she suddenly sat up, leaning forwards in to Jay's arms which he quickly wrapped around her. He was puzzled by her behaviour, but at least she was showing some kind of emotion about what had happened to her. Anything was better than her just laying there staring at the wall.

"It's okay." He said quietly, gently rubbing circles on her back as she sobbed against his shoulder. He didn't think he'd ever seen Erin cry. She'd come close to it when Charlie had shown up, but she'd held it back and fought through it. That was Erin all over though, she was too stubborn for her own good at times.

He sat there, holding her for a long while until her sobs eventually started to die down. He was expecting her to push him away, tell him to leave, but she didn't. Instead she just slumped against him, her head rested heavily against his shoulder as she fought to regain control over emotions. This was the reason she'd been laying there silent and motionless. She hadn't dared to speak or move in case she lost the little bit of control she'd managed to regain.

"I don't know if I can do this Jay." She whispered almost inaudibly, her breath catching in her throat as she spoke.

Jay squeezed her gently, not wanting to hurt her. Having seen the state of her when she'd first got to the hospital he was sure she'd still be fairly sore. Whatever those guys had done to her they'd given her one hell of a beating. "Of course you can... You're one of the strongest people I know Erin." He felt her suppress another sob against his chest.

Erin felt the tears welling in her eyes again as she struggled to hold herself together. She didn't cry in front of people- it just wasn't something she did. Even Voight had only seen her cry and handful of times, yet there she was- sat there in her partners arms, unable to stop the flood of tears from streaming down her cheeks.

Jay waited a second, wondering if he'd be pushing too far. "I know you don't want to talk about it Erin, but it helps... It really does... You can't just bottle everything up and try to go on with life as normal after something like this." He held his breath, waiting for her to push him away and shut down again. He felt the relief flood through him when she started to speak again.

"I know you think it will Jay, but it's not how I do things... I don't need to talk about it and have some big heart to heart about what happened too me... I just need everyone to stop talking about it and move on." She said quietly, the sound being muffled against his shoulder. If she was being honest she knew he was right, there was no way that she could just move on- not when she couldn't sleep, when everywhere she looked she saw him there, waiting to attack her again. She couldn't go back to her job, or even her own apartment. "I want things to go back to the way they were." She whispered, not even realising the words had left her mouth.

Jay sighed gently. He knew the feeling all too well. "It can't Erin, at least not straight away." He pulled back slightly, trying to look at her face and see what she was thinking but she kept her head tucked in by his chest, her expression obscured by her hair. "You can't just expect to get out of bed in the morning as though nothing happened to you- it takes time." He said gently.

He was waiting for her to speak again when she suddenly pushed him away, lying back down on the bed and rolling away from him. "Erin?" He said, placing a hand on her arm which she quickly shrugged off.

"Leave me alone Halstead." She said coldly, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. There was another long silence, she started to wonder if he was actually going to leave or not. Then she felt him get up off the bed and heard his footsteps walking away from her. She just about held it together until she heard the door close behind him, then fresh tears began to spill down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly in to the pillow. She just wanted to move on and forget everything that had happened too her, why did everyone have to be so insistent on her talking about it and dealing with it? Was burying her head in the sand really such a bad idea? Everyone else seemed to think so.

_Thanks for reading, I hope this makes up for how short the previous update was. Comments are always appreciated!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Ok, so I'm sorry- I kind of suck! I've been so desperately wanting to find the motivation to write some more of this story for you all but I just couldn't find the motivation to do it. I've had a pretty big week too- I've moved to the other end of Australia this week which was kind of a stressful process, so I've not really been in the mood for writing or had the time. Hopefully I won't end up leaving it so long to update again. Let me know what you think._

_P.S. If you can find somewhere online to watch the new BBC series 'our girl' then do it! It's amazing!_

Jay groaned and rolled out of bed at the sound of someone knocking on his front door. It was Saturday and his plans had consisted of nothing more than staying in bed all day to recover from the crap week he'd had at home, but someone had to come along and ruin it for him. "I'm coming!" He yelled as the knocking continued as he pulled on some clothes.

Opening the door he found his partner, the last person he'd been expecting to see, standing on the other side of his door. "Hi." She mumbled, stepping past him and in to his apartment before he could even invite her in.

"What are you doing here Erin? Is everything all right?" He asked, following her towards the sofa. She looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes and her face pale.

"Voight's suffocating me." She said quietly, sitting down on his sofa and pulling her knees up to her chin.

"He's worried about you Erin, we all are." Jay said, sitting down next to her.

Erin pulled a face. "Since when have you been on Voight's side."

Jay couldn't help but laugh a little at that comment. "Since Voight was right." He said, looking at her expectantly.

"You're not helping me out here Halstead- you were supposed to be on my side." Erin complained.

Jay laughed again. "You know I am usually Erin, but in this case he's right.. You can't just bottle this up and hide from everyone forever- that's not how it works."

He was braced, ready for a sarcastic retort but he didn't get one. Instead there was a few seconds silence as Erin tried to collect her emotions and get control of them. She turned to look at Jay, her eyes glassy with the unshed tears. "I know." She whispered shakily, before leaning forward in to Jay's waiting arms.

"It's okay." He said quietly, his hands gently rubbing her back, trying to find some way to soothe his partner as she cried uncontrollably against his chest.

Eventually Erin gained enough control to choke out a sentence. "Every time I close my eyes... It's like he's there all over again."

Jay felt his heart break a little, he knew exactly what it was like, to be haunted by memories that you couldn't control. He wished he had the answer, that he knew how to deal with it, but he didn't. It had taken years for him to move on from some of the things he'd seen during his time in the army. Even to this day he still had nightmares. "I know Erin, trust me." He hesitated, wanting to see if he could get her to open up more but not wanting to push too far again. "What happened to you in that basement Erin? Did he...?" He trailed off, letting his question hang in the air.

There was a tense silence as he waited for her answer. He let out a sigh of relief as she mumbled "No." Against his chest. He'd never been so happy to hear that word in all his life.

"You can tell me what happened Erin." He said quietly, still holding her tightly. "It's okay."

"How can it be okay Jay?" Erin choked out. "We don't know how many girls that could still be out there because of him, and we don't even know about them!"

"We'll find them." Jay said calmly, pulling her close again. "I promise. We will get the rest of the guys that are doing this." It made him sick to his stomach that the rest of the people who'd been involved were still out there somewhere, that whatever had happened to Erin could easily happen to someone else. "Right now, you need to sleep." He said looking down at Erin.

"I can't." Erin said, looking up at him.

"I'm here Erin, I've got you. Just close your eyes for a bit... Just humour me... Please?" He asked.

She hesitated and he thought she was going to refuse, but she nodded slowly, relaxing her head back down against his chest and slowly closing her eyes. He could feel how tense she was as she waited for the nightmares to resume, for her kidnapper to haunt her dreams yet again. It made him wish they'd let Voight drag the guy down to the docks and kill him, at least that way maybe he'd feel like some kind of justice had been done. Instead, the man who'd done this to his partner was sitting in a jail cell, awaiting a trial which was quite frankly going to be worse for Erin than it was for him. It made him feel sick that his partner was going to have to stand up in court and tell a bunch of strangers what had happened to her, then hope they believed her and decided to send that sick man to jail. The alternative was unimaginable.

He looked down again as he heard Erin's breathing deepen as she leant more heavily against him. Even asleep she still wore that frown that seemed to be permanently etched on her face. Even while she was asleep she couldn't turn her brain off and start worrying. It was scary for him to see her so broken and defeated. The Erin Lindsay he knew and loved would've been kicking his ass at paint balling on a weekend, not sat on his sofa crying and falling asleep on him. He just hoped that once she opened up and told him what had happened she'd be able to work through it and get back to her normal self.


	16. Chapter 16

_I'm so so sorry! I've been meaning to get this done for a while now but I've had a bit of writers block going on, I just couldn't work out how to do this next part. Sorry it's a little shorter than the other parts, I needed to bridge the gap between the last part and what comes next. Enjoy._

* * *

"Hey." She said quietly, walking in to the kitchen behind him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" He asked as he poured the coffee in to his cup. He'd been trying to creep around his apartment silently so he wouldn't wake her.

Erin shook her head, taking the cup he held out to her. "Thanks, no you didn't." She flashed him a small smile. "Thanks for last night." She added, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

Jay was about to answer her when his phone rang. "Hello... No she's here with me... No... Wait, what? I'm on my way."

Erin gave her partner a questioning look. "What did Voight want?" She asked, knowing exactly who would've been on the other end of the phone call.

"Just something about a case.." He mumbled, gulping down the rest of his coffee. "I've got to get going- do you want me to drop you back at Voight's?"

Erin gulped down the rest of her coffee too. "I'll come with you. I need to get out of that house."

Jay looked at her, trying to work out if she was being serious- she hadn't been anywhere near the precinct since they'd found her. 

"Well look who it is!" Ruzek yelled, jumping up from behind his desk and grabbing Erin in to a hug before she had time to process what was going on. "It's good to see you!"

Erin took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax, and putting a smile on her face. "Thanks Adam, it's good see you all again."

"Halstead." Voight's voice cut through the chatter. "My office."

Jay glanced back at Erin, Voight was definitely pissed. 

Walking in to Voight's office he shut the door behind him and looked at his boss, bracing himself for the anger that was coming. "What is Erin doing here?" Voight asked, his voice sounding surprisingly calm.

"She turned up on my doorstep last night and ended up falling asleep on my sofa... When you called me I offered to drop her back at yours but she said she wanted to come in with me... I didn't think it would be a problem." Jay frowned, he wasn't so sure what the problem was.

"It wouldn't be a problem- if we were working any other case." Voight said, looking out of the door to where Erin stood, laughing at something Antonio had just said.

"I don't get it." Jay said, wondering why Voight couldn't just come out and tell him what was going on.

Voight sighed, reaching for a brown folder on his desk. "Madeline Clark." He said as Jay took out a photo of a young girl. "Twenty One years old, last seen at a hotel bar with her friends two nights ago, they went to get a cab and she was supposed to meet them outside after she'd been to the toilet."

Jay felt his stomach drop, he didn't like where this was going. "Please tell me your not thinking he's involved."

Voight nodded. "It gets worse- he's saying he knows where she is."

Jay's head snapped up from the CCTV still he was studying. "Then why aren't we down there questioning that son of a bitch?" He asked angrily.

"He's saying he'll only talk if we send Erin to question him."

"You can't seriously be considering that!" Jay yelled, glaring at his boss. The thought of Erin in a room with that man again made his skin crawl. "There's no way you can ask her to do that!"

Voight looked at Jay and ran his hand through his hair. He'd already spent several hours considering the best way to proceed. "I don't like this any more than you do Halstead! Don't you think I wish we had other options?!" There was a long pause before Voight spoke again, much more calmly. "I'm not going to force her to do anything."

Jay took a deep breath, looking back down at the photo. "Do you really think she can do this?" He asked Voight quietly, turning around to look at where his partner stood laughing with the rest of the unit.

"She's a lot stronger than either of us give her credit for." Voight answered. "If I could think of another way I would, trust me Halstead, but we're running out of options."

Jay nodded slowly. "If she says no then that's the end of it." He said, before turning around and walking out of his bosses office. 

"What was that about?" Erin asked as Jay came back out of the office and walked towards his own desk.

Jay shrugged. "You'll find out in a minute."

Erin exchanged a look of confusion with Antonio and Ruzek before Voight walked out of his office. "Erin." He called across to her, nodding in the direction of his office.

Erin cast one last look back towards where her partner sat staring furiously at his computer screen before she walked towards Voight's office.


	17. Chapter 17

_Okay, so I am so so sorry! I've spent the past week driving down from Cairns to Sydney to visit family and then I had to turn around and go all the way back again afterwards so I haven't had any internet access/time to write for ages. Thanks to those of you who left reviews on this story while I was away though- It's motivated me to come home and get on with writing this update for you. Sorry it's taken me so long! _

"You know you don't have to do this." Jay said for what felt like the thousandth time. The drive out to the prison had been almost silent, the atmosphere so tense he was sure he could cut it with a knife if he tried.

"So you keep telling me." Erin replied, the attempt at a joke failing miserably. "I'll be fine. I can do this." She wasn't sure if the last part was supposed to reassure herself or Jay. She was fairly sure her heart had stopped when Voight had told her.

"_What's going on?" Erin asked, walking in to Voight's office with an expression of confusion. Jay was doing a fantastic job of avoiding her questions about what Voight wanted from her._

"_Close the door behind you." Voight said, trying to get his thoughts straight in his mind. Could he really ask Lindsay to do this? Every single fibre of him hated the idea of her going anywhere near that man, detested the fact that he was about to do it. But he also knew Erin, if anything happened to that girl and she knew she could've done something to prevent it she'd never forgive herself._

"_What's going on Hank?" Erin asked, sitting down opposite him and snapping him out of his thoughts._

_Voight hesitated for a moment, looking at the girl he'd come to consider as his daughter. He could still see the dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. He couldn't ask her to do this, surely there had to be another way._

_Erin rolled her eyes, something which he couldn't help but smile out. "Spit it out Hank." She sighed._

"_There's a girl, Madeline Clark, she went missing from the hotel she was staying in with her friends two nights ago..." Voight said slowly, watching Erin's reaction carefully._

_Erin shook her head as he stared at her, trying to wrap her head around what he'd just said. "No... It can't... I... Is he... Is he involved?" She stammered out eventually._

_Voight nodded slowly, wishing he'd never even started this conversation. She wasn't ready for this, there was no way he could ask her to do it._

"_What are you going to do?" Erin asked, looking down at her hands. She couldn't believe that even after being locked up he was still managing to find a way to do this._

"_He says he knows where she is." Voight said slowly, watching as Erin's eyes snapped up to his own._

"_Well why aren't you there right now then?" Erin demanded, not understanding why they weren't out there finding this girl right now._

_Voight took a deep breath as she looked at him questioningly. "He says he won't tell anyone other than you."_

_Erin sat there silently for several minutes, reeling from what he'd just said. Could she really face the thought of being back in a room with that man? But if she didn't, could she live with the consequences it could have for Madeline Clark?_

"I'll be fine Jay, honestly." She said, snapping out of her thoughts. "I'm a cop, this is what we do."

Jay was quiet for a few moments, focusing on the road ahead of him. "I just wish you didn't have to."

Erin reached across and squeezed his arm gently. "I know, but I can't hide forever. He can't hurt me in here Jay."

"I still don't like it." He frowned as he turned of the road and in to the car park. "You could tell Voight no."

Erin shook her head. "I have to do this Jay." She said, giving his arm a final squeeze as he turned off the engine.

Once they got inside everything seemed to blur together and far too soon for his liking Jay found himself staring at the man who'd kidnapped his partner through a window, watching as his partner walked in to the room. Erin was surprised no one could hear her heart hammering in her chest as she walked through the doorway in to the interview room. "You can do this Erin." She muttered under her breath. God she wished Jay was coming in there with her.

"Well well, Detective Lindsay! I must say this is a nice surprise!" The way he sat there, handcuffed to the table, grinning at her made her feel sick. Maybe Jay was right, maybe this hadn't been a good idea at all.

"Where is she?" Erin demanded, standing in front of the table, her arms crossed.

He gave her another one of those grins that made her feel nauseous. "Now now Erin, you didn't really think I'd just tell you straight away did you? Where would be the fun in that? You see I've been awfully lonely in here... I thought maybe you could keep me company for a while before I tell you where she is... It's only fair, don't you think? Please, have a seat." He nodded to the seat opposite him with a grin. Erin turned and glanced back to the one way glass she knew Jay would be stood behind before reluctantly pulling out the chair and sitting down.

"What do you want from me?" She asked, trying to stop her voice trembling the same way her hands were.

He gave a quiet laugh. "Oh Detective, you'll just have to be patient and see! After all, you need me to tell you where Madeline is don't you? I've got all the time in the world, the question here is does she?" He grinned at her.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N; before I go any further I'd just like to say how sorry I am for just abandoning this story. I've had some really nasty messages on a story I was writing about another show and it's just killed all my motivation to write. I've literally drafted out this chapter so many times, then convinced myself it wasn't good enough and deleted the whole thing. So, I'm really sorry for how long I've kept you waiting, and to anyone who's bothering to read this thanks so much. I hope you'll enjoy this update._

Erin sat across the table from her kidnapper, watching him intently. Her stomach was churning as he looked at her, flashing her that same grin she'd seen before he had beaten her half to death. She'd thought she was strong enough to do this, but maybe she'd been wrong. For all they knew he didn't even know where Madeline was, he was just trying to get inside her head. "Where is she?" She repeated, struggling to keep her voice level. She was determined not to let him see how much he was getting too her.

"There has to be another way Voight." Jay snapped, pacing up and down on the other side of the glass. It was taking every ounce of self control not to walk through the door and beat that creep senseless. He kept waiting for erin to snap but so far she'd held herself together amazingly well, despite his obvious attempts to get to her.

"I don't like this anymore than you do Halstead, believe me." Voight snapped as Jay came to a stop beside him, staring through the glass at his partner. "We're running out of other options."

Jay drew in a sharp breath as he watched Daniel O'Sullivan lean across the table and whisper something in to his partners ear. He could feel the tension radiating from Voight as they watched Erin visibly tense in front of them. If he was honest he wasn't totally opposed to allowing Voight to go in there and beat the crap out of the guy, then he might feel as though he's got some kind of pay back for what had happened.

They both watched on, holding their breath and clenching their fists, as erin said something in reply to him. There was a short exchange between the two of them before Erin abruptly stood up and hurried out of the room, nearly colliding with Jay as she rushed through the door. "Are you okay?" Jay asked worriedly, studying her expression.

Erin shoved a piece of paper in to Voight's hands, biting back the tears that were threatening to fall. "He says she's there." She choked out.

Voight nodded and flashed her a small smile. "You did good kid." He squeezed her arm gently before hurrying out of the room.

"Come here." Jay said quietly, wrapping his arms tightly around his partner as the sobs she'd desperately been trying to hold back finally over took her. "You did it, they're going to find her. It's all going to be okay." He said reassuringly, rubbing her back soothingly as she sobbed quietly against his chest.

After what felt like an eternity she pulled away slightly, peering up at him- her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Thank you for being here." She whispered, forcing a smile.

Jay smiled back down at her, squeezing her tightly. "You know I wouldn't have been anywhere else, even if I wanted to rip the guys head off the entire time."

Erin laughed quietly, stepping backwards out of his embrace. "I would've expected that from Voight." She laughed.

Jay flashed her another smile. "Come on, let's get out of here before I change my mind and actually go in there and hurt him." He took her hand in his and gently pulled her towards the door. "We should get back so we're there to celebrate the good news when they find her."

"Come on then." Erin agreed, following after him quickly. If she was honest she wanted to get out of there as quickly as physically possible. Being stuck in a room with that man had been a living nightmare, she honestly had no idea how she'd survived it. No doubt she'd be haunted by his face in her nightmares for weeks, if not months to come. She knew she'd go through it all again if it meant Voight and the rest of the intelligence unit could get to madeline in time to spare her some of the physical and emotional pain she had experienced. "Give me the keys, I've had enough of your driving." She snapped out of her thoughts and held her hand out to Jay who rolled his eyes before reluctantly handing over the keys.

"It's good to have you back Lindsay." He laughed as they walked out of the building and towards the car hand in hand.


	19. Chapter 19

_Sorry this has taken so long, I'm really struggling with my writing again. Apologies if this is awful._

"they've got her." Jay sighed with relief as he read the message from Voight. "Ruzek and Olinsky are driving her back to her parents right now.

"Thank god." Erin muttered, loosening her grip on the steering wheel slightly. "Is she-?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"She's fine." Jay reassured her, squeezing her arm. "Not a scratch on her thanks to you."

Erin flashed him a small smile as she parked the car outside the precinct. "Thank you, for coming with me today." She covered his hand with her own. "I couldn't have done this without you."

Jay shook his head. "You're the toughest cop I know Lindsay, you would've been fine in there with or without me." He reluctantly removed his hand from her arm, reaching for the door handle. "Come on, we'd better get a move on before Voight comes out here looking for us." Erin nodded, climbing out the car and walking in to the precinct, so close to her partner their hands were almost brushing.

"In here Erin!" Voight called from his office, causing Erin to shoot a look of confusion at Jay who shrugged in response. "Close the door behind you."

"What's this about Hank?" Erin asked worriedly, sitting down opposite him. "Is everything alright?"

"Why don't you tell me? Is there something I should be worried about?" He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"Why don't you just stop being so cryptic and spit out whatever it is you're trying to say?" Erin sighed, her patience had been worn thin by the events of the day. This was the last thing she needed.

Hank smiled. "I guess what I'm trying to say, as much as it pains me to admit it, is that if Halstead makes you happy then I'm okay with that." He said slowly, watching her facial expressions as she tried to process what was happening.

"Wait, what?" Erin muttered after a few seconds pause, she was starting to wonder if she'd imagined this entire thing. "Are you saying you're okay with me and Jay as more than partners?" She was almost afraid to ask the question incase it caused Vought to have a change of heart.

"I'm not going to stand in your way-" Voight nodded, cutting her off with a wave of his hand as she went to stand up and leave. "Saying that though Erin, if I think it's effecting your jobs or my unit there will be consequences for both of you. Understood?"

Erin nodded quickly, trying to suppress the grin that was quickly spreading across her face. "Understood!" She said excitedly, jumping to her feet. "Thanks Hank, these means alot!" She was around the desk and pulling him in to a hug before he had time to process what was happening.

Hank laughed and gently pushed her away. "Go! I'll see you back at work on Monday, don't be late!" He laughed as she rushed out of the office.

"What was all that about?" Jay asked as she walked towards where he was leaning against the wall. "Are you coming back to work?"

Erin nodded. "So I think I'll just keep hold of these!" She laughed pulling the car keys out of her pocket and dangling them from the end of her finger.

Jay groaned, following after her as she walked quickly down the stairs and out towards the car. "You must have really missed working with me- you're way too excited about coming back!" He laughed as they walked out in to the freezing cold Chicago air.

Erin pulled a face at him as she unlocked the car and got in to the drivers seat. "Who said I missed you, maybe I've been missing Ruzek's awful jokes!" She laughed as she began to drive back towards Jay's apartment.

Jay frowned at her. "Are you sure Voight didn't say anything else to you, there's got to be a reason other than those awful jokes of Ruzek's that's making you this happy."

Erin was quiet for a moment, turning on to Jay's street and parking up outside his building. "You know me too well, although I've got to admit I'm pretty excited about getting back to work." She smiled, opening her door and climbing out.

"Are you ever going to tell me what else he said or are you going to leave me in suspense forever?" Jay muttered grumpily as they walked up the steps. As he put the key in the door he became acutely aware of just how close to him erin was standing.

"How about you hurry up and unlock that door and I'd be more than happy to fill you in on all the details." She whispered in his ear as he battled with the lock.

"Does this mean what I think..." Jay asked as he finally managed to unlock the door and they made their way inside.

Erin smiled, standing so close to him he could feel her breath on his skin. "Maybe one day could be today.." She said softly, as Jay finally managed to unlock his apartment door and they both stepped inside.


End file.
